About Me

Katrina MacKinnon is a conductor, pianist, singer, and educator from Saskatchewan, Canada. She has completed a master’s degree in choral conducting from the Liszt Academy of Music (2025) in Budapest, Hungary. Katrina holds a Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance (2020) from the University of Alberta. During the course of her studies in Alberta, she was awarded the prestigious SSHRC grant from the Government of Canada for her research project exploring intermediate-level piano concerti using Eastern European folk idioms. She also holds a Bachelor of Music Degree (2018) from McGill University and the ARCT diploma in piano performance, first class honours with distinction, from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

Katrina has been appointed to the role of Choral Director for the new chapter of the National Schools Singing Programme in Edinburgh, Scotland. She is eager to begin her work fostering choral singing within the schools and building children's choirs that will contribute to the musical life of the city. She is thrilled to be a part of such an incredible organization promoting high quality choral singing within the UK. Katrina credits her two years spent studying at the Liszt Academy as the touchstone for her new work in Edinburgh. Living in Hungary, a place where choral music is sewn into the fabric of society, was a huge privilege and opportunity for musical growth, broadening her vision of what choral music can be in the 21st century. 

Katrina began conducting when she was asked to be the choir director of the Newman Catholic Students’ Centre of McGill University in the autumn of 2015. This interest in conducting choirs grew as she sang in more ensembles such as the professional choir Voces Boreales, the National Youth Choir of Canada, the award-winning Madrigal Singers of the U of A, and the Schulich Singers of McGill. Moreover, in her role as an accompanist of the graduate course in choral conducting at the U of A, Katrina had the opportunity to watch conducting lessons and learn about the development of choral music. While working in Saskatoon, Katrina took on the role of artistic director of the newly-formed Melodia Singers, as well as the director of St. Paul’s Co-Cathedral Children’s Choir. The latter choir received marks of distinction in the Saskatoon Music Festival in 2023. Katrina had the pleasure of working with the Saskatoon Children’s Choir as they resumed rehearsals after an 18-month hiatus; she also conducted and taught sacred music to children at the Academy of Our Lady homeschool program in Saskatoon.